It was a corpse. A child’s corpse. And worse yet, Diablo felt like it was oddly, eerily familiar. Did he meet this child somewhere before?
“...What...is this...?” Diablo asked.
“It’s God,” Klem said with a shrug.
Diablo looked at Klem, his eyes wide.
“You don’t mean...?!”
“The world exists within a stream of countless possibilities. There are futures where this one is free to do as it pleases, and some where It’s reduced to a mutilated body. If the Emperor has the power to surpass God, then God’s future could very well change. It’s not all that surprising, is it?”
“No, no no no... It can’t be... Emperor Gelmed did this to God?!”
“Well, this whelp fooled around a little too much. This Demon Lord thought I’d kill it myself, but someone beat me to the punch.”
“So God was...killed...?!”
And it was the Emperor who killed him.
Klem looked at the lance gouged into the child’s body. It was a long, old wooden spear. Nothing about it looked all that mystical or strong, but...
“This is the 《Lance of Helvetia》, capable of distorting the laws of destiny. An Adh Artifact unfettered by the bounds of Akasha, that was brought here from another world. In other words, this is a Demon and God Slayer.”
†
Klem gazed at the corpse and heaved a sigh.
“He could have just crucified It... But the Emperor wanted God’s miracles, and so he stole Its flesh.”
“That’s a curse,” Diablo said.
“You’re a perceptive one,” Klem remarked.
—Yeah, well, it’s a fantasy cliche!
He who consumes the flesh of God is cursed with supernatural power.
“He defeated God and changed the future in doing so,” Klem said, crossing her arms. “But if you and Rem desire a better future for the mortal races... A future that isn’t extinction... You must defeat the Emperor.”
Diablo felt his mind gradually calm down. He thought back to Rem and Shera, and about why he even came to this place.
—I want to protect them.
“So Emperor Gelmed’s power is the power of God?”
“Aye!” Klem nodded firmly.
“Then won’t this lance work against him? This...Lance of Helvetia.”
“Mmm... One of the mortal races could wield it... But if a God or a Fallen tries to touch it, it steals away the majority of our powers.”
Diablo was stunned.
“So you’re saying that...you have to be from the mortal races to use this thing?”
“Yes. I mean, it’s called the Demon and God Slayer! Are you going to try to use it, Diablo?”
Diablo pondered on it for a moment, but...
“...What are you saying?! I am a Demon Lord!”
He couldn’t discard his role playing. It was his role because he stuck to it through thick and thin. Even if he was faced with the rarest, most powerful, one-of-a-kind weapon.
...Some part of him wept bitter tears at the missed opportunity, though.
Klem, however, nodded grandly.
“Do not worry! If we’re up against the Emperor, this Demon Lord’s power can overcome him! But when I unleash my power, my destructive impulses get stronger...”
“Like when you fought me?”
“I’ll be even more difficult to beat this time around, that’s for certain. I remember how to fight properly now.”
“Nng...” Diablo groaned, recalling the powerful spells he saw Klem cast.
He couldn’t see himself soloing her.
“Modinaram broke his own limits and grew stronger by consuming the other Demon Lords. That put him closer to the power of the 《Primordial Demon Lord》.”
“Yes, I remember him saying something like that.”
—The Ultimate Demon Lord, approaching the power of the Primordial Demon Lord... Something like that.
“Right now, I’m even stronger than Modinaram was back then.”
“R-Really?”
If a stronger enemy than the Demon Overlord Modinaram were to appear right now, Diablo didn’t know how he’d be able to handle it. Klem extended her hand out to Diablo. Her small, child-like hand touched his chest. It felt nice and cool to the touch.
“Then I shall grant you the power of the Demon Lord.”
“What?!”
This was what Klem meant when she said she “needs to try something for the first time.”
“Don’t tell me you’re cowering now after everything that’s happened...?” Klem glared at him.
“O-Of course not!” Diablo replied indignantly.
“Good!” she said with a smile. “That’s how Diablo, the Demon Lord from another world, ought to conduct himself!”
Something about the way she was acting felt off.
—I guess that makes sense.
Losing here could spell the end of the world. The Emperor wielded and was cursed by the power of God, and he could consume all of creation. And to oppose him, he’d need to rely on the power of the Demon Lord Krebskulm.
“And you’ve never tried this before?”
“The only thing I ever thought about before was killing the mortal races. I never imagined I’d give them my power.”
Diablo almost asked her “Can you really do it?” but ended up swallowing the words. It was her first try. She said she wasn’t sure, so pressing her on it wouldn’t move things along either way. He said something else instead.
“Demon Lord Klem! As a fellow Demon Lord, I shall use your power wisely! For the crime of intruding upon our territory, I shall etch true fear into Emperor Gelmed’s heart. I will strike him down, and any vestiges of God’s power he possesses!”
“Encouraging words. That is why you are worthy of being this Demon Lord’s master!” Klem spread her arms, beaming at him.
What little, scant armor covered her body vanished, leaving her completely naked.
“Nng?!” Diablo gawked at her.
“I leave it all...in your hands, Diablo...”
Klem levitated above him and brought her lips closer to his.
“Aaah?!” Diablo squeaked despite himself.
But her voice filled his head, as if washing over his mind...
“I declare in the name of Krebskulm. All of this Demon Lord’s powers shall answer Diablo, reside in Diablo, and obey Diablo.”
“Kle—”
A pair of small lips sealed Diablo’s.
“Mm...”
They felt soft and hot against his own. Klem’s body heat was gradually becoming vividly clear to him. He felt a swift heartbeat, and the swirling of overflowing magical energy.
“Mha...”
His mind felt numb. His consciousness receded, but just as he was about to let go of it, he was pulled back.
“Ugh...”
“Mm...”
“...Klem... Are you sure this is...necessary...?”
“Mm... I don’t know.”
“Hey.”
She chuckled, amused by his momentary annoyance.
“Let me have this. This might be the last sight this Demon Lord ever sees.”
“Wh-What?”
“Take care of Edelgard.”
“W-Wait! Klem! I don’t need the Demon Lord’s power if it means losing you...!”
“Heheh. You’re too kind to be a Demon Lord.”
Those last words only rang in his mind. The moment he wrapped his arms around her, Klem’s body disappeared, as if melting into Diablo’s.
“Ah?! Aaaaaaah, aaaaaaaaaaah...!”
A voice he couldn’t even recognize as his own erupted from his lips. Magical energy surged up from the core of his body. Something enveloped him, a metallic sort of sensation — armor that was lighter than any clothing he’d ever worn.
Diablo fell to his knees and bashed his now armored fist against the ground. Klem was nowhere to be seen.
—She’s gone!
Diablo’s shoulders quaked. Something warm built up in his eyes.